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eBay Artificial Intelligence Fails to Identify Counterfeit Coins
IkesT
Posts: 4,635 ✭✭✭✭✭
This afternoon, I reported the listing below to eBay for counterfeit coins. This was the third listing of counterfeit Morgan dollars by the same seller after two other rounds of listings had been removed:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/176064317217
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I've just received the response below informing me that my report has been dismissed "using automation or artificial intelligence":
Attn: @burfle23
3
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Reported
Founder- Peak Rarities
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Thanks - it will be interesting to hear if you get the same response!
I got the same response.
Very interesting - thank you!
I haven’t gotten a response as of yet, will update when I do.
Founder- Peak Rarities
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Does their business model really incentivize themselves to care?
Reported
I don't know, but I would like to know what they are doing. The email responses they're sending out are certainly new, but exactly what else has changed? They haven't provided any details. It's a real concern that they appear to have taken an ineffective reporting system and made it even worse.
Reported.
Looks like the listing got nuked and i never got the ai message.
Founder- Peak Rarities
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Back to the AI drawing board for them I guess. There is no substitute for human visual acuity and thought.
At the bottom of the letter from eBay it notes: Attn: @burfle23. Did eBay send the listing to burfle23 for counterfeit conformation?
No, that was my addition so that he would see the thread.
I totally agree with you
That depends on one’s definition of “really incentivize themselves to care”.
They apparently care enough to remove a lot of listings, though not nearly as many as I wish they would.
I also reported the listing earlier today, and received the same response as others.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
they get barred they come back as someone else, it a shame
Response I received...
Thanks - I received the "We're looking into it" message from eBay about 20 minutes before receiving the "Decision" message.
Well, I eventually got the same response as you on an obviously bad 1804 dollar:
Not good for the Bay or buyers if this is the future direction...
That certainly does not bode well!
"Not in violation of our policy."
So their policy is now to aid and abet trafficking of counterfeit coins. Gotcha.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Lesson : Unless you are an expert, do not buy raw coins, and watch out for counterfeit slabs!
https://www.smallcopperguy.com
caveat emptor
Ebay can do no wrong.
Practice makes perfect & nobody is perfect. So, practice being nobody.
The posse lives !
Practice makes perfect & nobody is perfect. So, practice being nobody.
Very interesting, But
what is the position of the LAW????
Specifically for repeat offenders?
Is Feebay making good on already sold items?
H
Until enough people recognize they've been swindled into buying a counterfeit coin and initiate action to get money back from ebay... it will continue. It will continue at least until ebay calculates the "tipping point" where enough people have that epiphany versus those that remain blissfully ignorant (until they go to sell...)
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
If the AI option results in such woefully poor results, what’s the point in using it at all?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Finally!
Yea, reported through a different channel...
Then I’ll ask the same question about whatever they’re using, other than the human eye - what’s the point?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
@jmlanzaf - You are getting hung up on minutiae and missing the forest for the trees. I take it you are not actively engaged in reporting counterfeits, so I would not expect you to be aware of the details.
You asked "What's the big deal?". The big deal is that eBay fails to remove most counterfeit coins even when they are directly reported by users. That was true in the past and is still true now, regardless of how their system for dealing with reports has changed.
In the past, it appeared that eBay required multiple reports on a particular listing to take action and remove it. This was an ineffective system, as it made counterfeit removal largely inaccessible to anyone outside of a group like the Forum that could organize reports en masse.
Now, based on the new email messages from eBay, they appear to be making determinations based on every individual report - and rejecting all of them (at least all of those reported through the normal channel by regular users). As I described, I received a rejection notification from eBay about 20 minutes after reporting the OP listing, which indicates to me that they are no longer even waiting to receive multiple reports in order to make a determination.
The concern is that they've taken an ineffective system and made it even less effective (if effective at all). That's a big deal.
To me, the email now sent noting the decision that was made, incorrectly in the posted examples here, is just bizarre and does not help eBay's reputation nor promote confidence in the process. Enough of those and if I were just reporting through those channels I would probably give up- don't think that is their intent, but who knows.
I don't think anyone "complained about the listing", or even the outcome, just the strange Bay response.
And I don't confuse the fact some listings were removed during this conversation as indicating the bots got wiser from the report later and addressed the listings...
That's because it isn't actually intelligent. Intelligence is more than AI.
Just curious how many bad coins/ listings you see daily and how many you report? Just trying to get a reference for your statement "Things appear to be the same as always".
I'm doing no such thing. Your arguments might make more sense if you actually fact checked yourself and read what others have already written in the same thread you are posting in.
Just for giggles I reported another one for the evening; I received the same initial response...
I messaged the seller instead of reporting and boy did he chew me out for reporting him!
bob
vegas, baby!
He's clearly very keen to sell those counterfeits - changing his listing tactics every time to try to fly under the radar...
I told him he's got a lot of eyes on his auctions.... coin community is not happy!
bob
vegas, baby!
It's called ebay improvements none of their improvements ever improve anything they just make it worse.
Way gone...
For all we know, they could be tracking the precision of user-reported counterfeits (true positives / (true positives + false positives)), using it as the probability that a report is correct, and using a random number generator to decide whether or not to believe the report.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution